Inquiry 4.1 Reason for Seasons
Write down the purpose on the first line of your paper.
Purpose: What factors cause the Earth to have seasons?
Background Information: Answer the questions below using your understanding of concepts
learned from past labs. Remember to put part of the question into your answer.
1. When the sun is high in the sky, what length shadows are made?
2. What season has the shortest shaddows??
3. When the sun is low in the sky, what length shadows are made?
4. What season has the longest shadows?
5. In what two ways does the Earth move?
6. How do the seasons in the NH compare to the seasons in the SH?
Hypothesis:
IF I change the revolution and ________ of earth then the seasons will be different.
Procedure:
1. Stick the rod of your globe into the center hole of Side B of the SEM board. Spin your SEM
board around until the Earth’s axis (north pole) points towards the clock. No matter where
you move the SEM board, the Earth needs to always point in this direction because Earth’s
tilt doesn’t change.
2. Place the clay with the toothpick tip on the Earth where we live (Illinois, USA).
3. Find a shadow on your glove cast by the toothpick.
4. What needs to happen to make the shadow change length and direction? Write this answer
down in your notebook.
5. Which direction does the Earth (globe) rotate to make the shadows appear to the left of the
tooth pick (West) and then change to the right of the toothpick (East) simulating that the Sun
rises in the East and Sets in the West? Write this answer down on your paper.
6. Place the flashlight in the middle of the Earth’s “orbit”. (Above the sticker that says SUN)
Keep the flashlight there throughout the entire simulation because we know the Sun does
not move.
7. Move the Earth (with the SEM board) around the Sun until you see a shadow made by the
toothpick that would indicate summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Once all group members
agree that this arrangement of the sun and Earth make summer in the NH, draw the
arrangement of the sun and Earth (don’t forget Earth’s axis)
8. Move the Earth (with the SEM board) around the Sun until you see a shadow made by the
toothpick that would indicate winter in the Northern Hemisphere. Remember to keep your
axis tilted towards the clock. Once all group members agree that this arrangement of the
sun and Earth make winter in the NH, draw the arrangement of the Sun and Earth (don’t
forget Earth’s axis)
9. Knowing where the Earth is around the sun in summer and winter, move the Earth (and
SEM board) around the Sun to where the Earth would be in the spring. Keep the axis tilted
towards the clock. Draw the arrangement of the Sun and Earth (don’t forget to include the
Earth’s tilt)
10. Knowing where the Earth is around the sun in summer and winter, move the Earth (and
SEM board) around the Sun to where the Earth would be in the fall. Keep the axis tilted
towards the clock. Draw the arrangement of the Sun and Earth (don’t forget to include the
Earth’s tilt)
11. Look back at your Reason for Seasons questions (or the internet) and under your pictures,
record the first day of each season.
12. Record whether or not the season is a solstice or an equinox.
Analyzing the Data:
Answer the following questions on your paper.
1. How are the seasons different between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres on the
same day?
2. Recreate the data table below and name the season.
3. What are the 2 main factors why the Earth has seasons?
4. What would happen if the Earth was not tilted?
5. What would happen if the Earth did not rotate around the Sun?
Conclusion:
See Rubric